As the calendar tick-tock its way towards hurricane season, residents in Pinellas County and St. Petersburg are getting a free opportunity to step up their storm preparedness game. On May 31, a Hurricane Preparedness Day expo, free and open to the public, is set to take place, aiming to equip citizens with necessary knowledge and resources to ensure their safety.
The expo, a collaborative effort from Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg, is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Willis S. Johns Recreation Center, located at 6635 Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. It promises a lineup of presentations from industry experts including Spectrum Bay News 9 meteorologist Diane Kacmarik and National Weather Service meteorologist Ross Giarratana, as well as a chance for attendees to potentially win a free generator. In an effort to directly engage residents, it will also feature an evacuation zone lookup and special needs registration.
According to details posted on pinellas.gov, the event is set to be family-friendly with attractions ranging from emergency shelter demonstrations to a kids playground and education zone with weather-related arts and crafts. Event attendees can also get their hands on free hurricane kit supplies, witness a sandbag demonstration, and get a close look at emergency response vehicles.
Alongside the educational components, the expo will also provide practical services to complement the advice on tap, including free pet services—with the caveat of a County license purchase—such as exams, rabies shots, and microchips. The day is not just to be about preparedness, but also about community wellbeing; The Salvation Army is contributing free food and beverages, and there will even be free popcorn and snow cones for the younger attendees. Attendees will further have the chance to pick up a copy of the 2025 Pinellas County Hurricane Guide, an essential resource for the coming storm season.
